This week’s story is from After the Apocalypse by Maureen F. McHugh, published by Small Beer Press. Self-aware computers. Zombies. Clinical trial volunteers. Chinese factory workers. Dolls that look like newborn infants. After the Apocalypse. In her new collection, Story Prize finalist Maureen F. McHugh delves into the dark heart of contemporary life and life five minutes from now and how easy it is to mix up one with the other. Her stories are post-bird flu, in the middle of medical trials, wondering if our computers are smarter than us, wondering when our jobs are going to be outsourced overseas, wondering if we are who we say we are, and not sure what we’d do to survive the coming zombie plague.